Who I Am
by shikamarubase
Summary: All her life, Terumi never once believed in her strength. But when a certain lazy genius becomes her comrade and friend, will her outlook change? Shikamaru x OC
1. Dream

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of Kishimoto's characters. Only the OCs are mine**

 **Chapter One:**

She stirred from her slumber. Seconds later, blue eyes slowly fluttered open. She brought a hand to her temple, shook off the drowsiness and wondered, "Where am I?"

Judging from the uncomfortable feeling of her backside, she was lying on cold hard ground. With a groan, she pushed herself into a sitting position and tried to survey her surroundings.

Nothing but complete darkness surrounded her.

"What happened to me? What am I doing here?" She wondered out loud. No one answered her questions. Instead, her voice echoed back, making it clear she was in an enclosed space.

Fully aware that nothing will happen if she remained still, she rose to her feet and cautiously felt around the darkness, hoping to find anything that can help determine her location. She fumbled around but felt nothing but thick hard walls surrounding her.

Signing, she leaned against the wall and tried to peer into the darkness again but realized something very odd: her eyes, which should've easily adapted because of daily training, had not yet adjusted to the dark. Her eyebrows furrowed from this strange predicament but before she could further analyze the situation, footsteps approached her from the other direction.

"Who's there?" She called out in alarm. There was no way of telling if whoever's approaching was friend or foe.

The cackling voice that answered sent shivers down her spine. **"Your worst nightmare."**

Tachibana Terumi woke up with a start. Her first instinct was to look around wildly. Quickly realizing she was in the comfort of her own bedroom, her tense shoulders relaxed and she breathed a sigh of relief. The nightmare shook her to the very core; there's no way she can fall asleep after that. _There's no use trying to go back to sleep, so I may as well start my day early_ , she rationalized.

She stood up and walked over to stand by the window. The early morning sunshine lazily filtered in, but its warmth shook away any shred of fear she had after hearing that strange voice in her dream. She looked out towards her village, the Village of the Hidden Leaf, in all its morning glory and grinned.

"Not a bad day to get a little training in."

—

A shuriken broke the silence of the morning. It whizzed through the air before promptly hitting its target. Satisfied with her hit, Terumi straightened her back before reaching for another shuriken. The field she was currently training in was wide with greenery that stretched for miles. Target boards lined up horizontally and a number of training dummies scattered around the open space. There was a rustle of leaves from the forest of trees facing her back.

"Training so early in the morning, you never change do you?"

His familiar voice did not deter her focus from the target. She aimed and successfully hit the bulls-eye once again. Knowing that she could no longer continue to train in peace, Terumi sighed and shook her long brown hair out from its ponytail.

"What do you want, Akito?" She asked as way of acknowledging his presence.

Akito flashed her a smile, canines out. The purple marks on the sides of his face identified him as a member of the Inuzuka clan.

"Lady Tsunade is calling for you. Sounds like a mission."

Knowing that she was being summoned by the village's Hokage, Terumi prepared to leave. Akito anticipated her action and quickly intercepted. She looked up to glare at him, silently telling him to move away but his grin only widened in response.

"Spar with me before you go."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he pulled his arm back to throw a punch to her gut. Terumi quickly backed away as a reflex and countered with a punch of her own, aiming for his face. He grabbed her arm before it could make contact and twisted it to her back. This effectively got a yelp of pain out of her and she struggled to get away from his iron-clad grip.

"Do you give up?" Akito playfully whispered in her ear.

"You wish!" Terumi growled. She directed chakra to her foot before stepping hard on his toes. His grip loosened and she used this as an opportunity to move away from him. After drawing a kunai, she sped over to Akito with every intention of cutting him but he guessed her path and smoothly moved away with the speed that only an Inuzuka possessed. Terumi predicted his movement and changed her path at the very last second. She body slammed him, pushed him towards the ground, and quickly sealed any attempts of a counterattack by resting a kunai against his neck.

She didn't say a word as Akito's expression turned from shock, to amusement, and finally, resignation. "I give up. You win." Terumi immediately retracted her kunai and stood up. She turned her back towards him and prepared to leave.

"After four years of being in the same team, I still can't beat you in a one-on-one match." Terumi looked back to see that Akito was still lying on the grass, exactly where she left him, looking straight at her with a small smile on his face. "You're really something else, Teru."

She returned his smile. "You're a hundred years too early to be challenging me anyway," she teased.

Akito burst out laughing. "Whatever you say, I'm still gonna beat you one day. Now stop being cheeky and get out of here."

"You're the one who stopped me in the first place," she muttered under her breath, but in a much louder voice she bid goodbye to Akito and left the field.

—

Terumi stood in front of the Hokage's office. She straightened her posture before knocking on the door.

"Come in!" Came the loud reply.

She twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open. The first person she saw was the Fifth Hokage herself, sitting behind a desk filled with piles of paperwork. She was scribbling fiercely when she heard Terumi enter.

"You're quick to arrive," Tsunade noted when she saw Terumi standing in her office. "Sit down. You have to wait a while for the others," she said before going back to her paperwork.

She obeyed Tsunade's order and sat down on the couch in front of the desk. While waiting, Terumi wondered who those "others" were and what was taking them so long. Missions are the top priority for any shinobi and no one would be stupid enough to intentionally make the Hokage wait for them after being summoned, right?

After a few minutes of silence, someone knocked on the door and entered. Tsunade looked up and surprised Terumi by smirking. "That was quicker than I thought. What did you two do to wake him up?"

Terumi looked over her shoulder to see a pretty kunoichi with long blonde hair walk in, rolling her blue eyes. "Lady Fifth, after years of being in the same team, it's already a given that we need to splash a bucket of ice cold water on his face to wake him up."

Terumi knew her as Yamanaka Ino, heiress of the Yamanaka clan.

A big guy followed in after her. He wore a cheerful smile on his chubby face and held a bag of potato chips in one hand. "It still wasn't easy though. We had to drag him here kicking and screaming."

This was Akimichi Choji, heir of the Akimichi clan.

The last person to enter had black hair pulled up into a spiky ponytail. His face crinkled into a yawn as he scratched the back of his neck. "Troublesome. Ino had to dry my hair before coming."

And this was Nara Shikamaru, heir of the Nara clan and a known genius with an IQ of over 200.

Terumi gulped when she realized this was the team she was going to work with—the legendary Ino-Shika-Cho of the Hidden Leaf Village.


	2. Ino-Shika-Cho

**Chapter Two:**

"Now that you're all here, let's get down to business." Tsunade's firm voice was the sign for all four Chūnin to wipe the playful expressions from their faces and listen.

"The daimyo and his family will be taking a vacation in Takigakure for a week. Your mission is to guard them until they return." Terumi's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She glanced at the other three to find them all sharing the same skeptical expression.

It was Ino who spoke the words they all wanted to say. "Lady Fifth, isn't it the job of the Twelve Guardian Ninja to guard them? With all due respect, if you have to dispatch a group of Chūnin to do a job they can do easily, there's something wrong am I right?"

Tsunade sighed. "Recently there have been numerous incidents wherein the daimyo's life was in danger. The daimyo thinks that members of the Twelve are behind it. We don't know who and how many they are, but this vacation is the perfect chance for them to execute whatever plan they may have. You four will act under a guise of touring the daimyo and his family around Takigukare."

"So you want us to determine who the traitors are without them discovering that we are spies sent to uncover them, while protecting the daimyo at the same time," Shikamaru interjected matter-of-factly. "Plus, I'm guessing the daimyo planned this himself and asked you to follow through with his plan.

The Fifth Hokage nodded. "You must not let them find out that you are Ino-Shika-Cho, or else they may become suspicious."

"That's why there's an additional member to the team," Shikamaru concluded as he glanced at Terumi from the corner of his eye. Terumi felt a twinge of annoyance at his words. He made it sound as if having her there would be a burden. She suddenly felt the need to prove him wrong.

As if reading her mind, Tsunade explained, "Terumi is an excellent kunoichi who is both clever and skilled. She'll be able to work well with all of you."

She almost couldn't fight the beam that wanted to cross her face. Being praised by the most powerful kunoichi in Konoha made Terumi swell with pride. "What do we do once we've rooted out the traitors?"

"Report to me immediately and make sure you have the evidence to back up your claim. Afterwards, keep your eye out for any suspicious activities."

"We're not going to apprehend them?" Choji asked, hand still gripping the bag of potato chips.

Tsunade shook her head sharply. "No. The Twelve are all highly-skilled ninja who have abilities above your own. Do not engage them in battle. If the situation calls for it, request for reinforcements immediately." She strictly looked at the four Chūnin, her eyes were saying that if they do not follow orders, there will be hell to pay. "If there are no more questions, you will leave with the daimyo early tomorrow morning. Shikamaru, you're the squad leader for this mission. Dismissed."

Terumi followed the other three out with the mission in mind. Lost in thought, she didn't notice three pairs of eyes on her until the door was shut.

"It's nice to know there's another girl on the team." Terumi blinked when she realized Yamanaka Ino was speaking to her. "Now I don't have to clean up after their mess all by myself." She crinkled her nose at the boys' direction.

Choji tore the bag of chips open and began to stuff his mouth. "Don't scare her away, Ino," he said in between bites.

Ino glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?" Terumi winced at her loud screech. She glanced furtively at the Hokage's office door, afraid that it would burst open. "If anything's gonna scare her, it's the mess you slobs make—"

"Uh, Yamanaka-san!" Ino stopped mid-sentence and looked at Terumi in surprise. "I think we should continue this conversation elsewhere." She gestured towards the door behind her. "We might disturb the Hokage."

Ino nodded in agreement, but not before throwing another glare at Choji. Without a word, Shikamaru languidly strolled away with hands in his pockets. They followed after him in silence, the only sound came from Choji's munching. Terumi used this as an opportunity to observe the Nara in front of her.

His posture was relaxed, to the point where his back was slightly hunched. His head was slightly turned upward and Terumi suspected he was actually staring at the ceiling. She copied his action, but there was nothing worth looking at on the scarlet surface.

She turned her attention to Ino and Choji, who were already having an animated conversation; it was as if Ino had never been annoyed at the round boy. _She_ , Terumi decided, _must be the quick to anger but also quick to forgive and forget type_.

By the time they made it outside, Ino was laughing and Choji had finished eating his chips. Shikamaru was a little distance away from them and was still looking up, but this time at the morning sky. Terumi planned on quietly slipping away, but before she could take a step, Ino wrapped an arm over her shoulder.

"You know, you surprised me." she smiled. "I didn't think you knew my name. Were we put in the same team before?"

Terumi shook her head. "No. But I've heard of you, all three of you," she replied honestly. "Your team is sort of famous in my year, back when we were still in the academy."

Choji's eyes widened at her words. "Famous how?"

Ino stared intently as she waited for Terumi to answer. "Sensei always made Ino-Shika-Cho an example of teamwork and unity."

Ino's shoulders visibly slumped. "That's it?" She whined. "I thought boys talked about how gorgeous I am, or what a great kunoichi I am. Damn it!"

Terumi chuckled while Choji let out a hearty laugh. "You shouldn't have raised your hopes up, Ino." He put a hand to his stomach. "Anyway, I'm hungry. Let's eat ramen! C'mon Shikamaru," he called out to Shikamaru who was, shockingly, still around.

With his head turned towards the sky, Shikamaru spared a glance at his best friend. "Ramen for breakfast? You're starting to sound like Naruto," he commented drily, offering neither his approval nor disapproval on the idea.

Unfazed by his words, Choji clapped a hand on Shikamaru's shoulders. "Let's go, buddy," he said, which Shikamaru answered with a resigned shrug.

Ino rolled her blue eyes at her team mates. "Seriously, what am I going to do with you two?"

Completely ignoring Ino, Shikamaru turned to Terumi and spoke to her for the first time. "Wanna come?"

Terumi contemplated her answer for a few seconds. A part of her wanted to decline because she wasn't in the mood to socialize with people she barely knew, but another part of her argued that this was the perfect chance to get information on her teammates, which may prove useful for their mission. Reaching a decision, she nodded.

—

Walking in town with the most famous team in Konoha was a surreal experience for Terumi. There was Ino who was chattering nonstop next to her, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she was no longer listening. Then there was Choji and Shikamaru, who were slightly ahead of them and talking in low voices. Shikamaru must've said something funny because Choji suddenly burst out laughing, though Terumi could not fathom how a guy with a single expression could make another laugh so hard.

"They're best friends." Ino flashed her a knowing smile, and Terumi's face flushed in embarrassment at being caught.

"Sorry, Yamanaka-san," she muttered.

Ino airily waved her hand around. "Puh-lease. I'm used to people blocking me out because I talk too much." She shrugged. "And that's Ino for you, there's no need to be so formal. I'll call you Teru!"

Terumi smiled weakly. "Sorry, Ino. It's not because I don't like talking to you, really. I'm just not used to chatter."

Ino raised an eyebrow and shook her head. "Geez, you two are so alike."

Before Terumi could ask who she was referring to, they had arrived at Ichiraku Ramen.

Terumi stepped inside the restaurant and the first people she saw were Akito and Remi, desperately slurping down ramen like their lives depended on it.

She approached them. "What are you guys doing?" She asked, with confusion in her tone.

They paused at the sound of her voice, but neither stopped eating until their bowls were empty. "We're having a ramen-eating competition!" Remi blurt out enthusiastically before letting out a big burp.

"We're on our third bowl!" Akito proudly announced.

Terumi raised a hand to her face and let out a deep sigh, as if to say, _I can_ _'_ _t believe I_ _'_ _m in the same team as these two idiots._

Suddenly, Ino poked her head over Terumi's shoulder. "Are they your friends, Teru?"

Akito and Remi blinked at the unfamiliar face. "We are," Akito said uneasily. "Who are you?"

"These are my teammates, Akito and Remi," Terumi introduced to Ino, gesturing to the dark-haired Inuzuka boy and the blonde sitting across from him. "Guys, this is Yamanaka Ino." At the mention of her name, Akito's and Remi's mouths hung open in shock.

"Ino, as in..." Remi trailed off, and just stared at Terumi for confirmation.

She nodded. "As in Ino-Shika-Cho. I'm actually going on a mission with them tomorrow."

Ino grinned like a cheshire cat, then flipped her platinum blonde hair over her shoulder. "I guess we really are famous afterall. I'm gonna go tell Shikamaru and Choji," she said gleefully before running off.

"Please order a large miso ramen for me, Ino!" She called out after her.

"Okay!"

Akito shook his head in disbelief. "Wow. You're already so familiar with them."

She shrugged. "Not really. Ino's friendly, so I'm just going with the flow. I haven't really talked with the boys much."

"I'm so jealous!" Remi moaned. "Hardly anyone in our year got to go on missions with them." She sneaked a peek at the trio sitting casually at the counter. "You even get to eat with them! Not fair, Teru!"

"It's not like I asked for this," Terumi hissed under her breath. "And not so loud, they'll hear you." Even though she was annoyed at Remi's whining, Terumi could understand her reaction. She actually omitted a small detail when she answered Choji's question before.

She was telling the truth when she said the sensei often made Ino-Shika-Cho an example of exemplary teamwork, but even without that everyone knew how gorgeous Ino was, they'd heard of Choji's kindness, and they were definitely aware of Shikamaru's brilliance. Most of the class admired them, and this included Terumi.

Akito abruptly stood up and threw Remi a pointed look. "C'mon Remi. We shouldn't hang around while Teru's here. You're gonna have a meeting right?" He directed the question to Terumi. She didn't know if they were eating there for the sake of eating or for a quick meeting, but she nodded anyway.

Before leaving, Remi whispered a few parting words. "Come to my house when you're done here."

Once her teammates left the store, Terumi went over to the counter and sat next to Ino. In front of her was a piping hot bowl of ramen. Realizing that she was famished, Terumi quickly tucked in and absent-mindedly heard Choji yell, "Oji-san, another bowl please!"

* * *

 **Here's chapter two! I wanted the characters to interact a bit more with each other before the story officially starts. I hope you enjoyed!**


	3. Tachibana

**Chapter Three:**

For a while, no one said a word as they hungrily ate what's assumed to be their breakfast. But of course with Ino there, any silence they did have was short-lived.

"So," Ino turned in her seat to face Terumi. "Was that guy from a while ago your boyfriend?"

Startled, Terumi choked on the noodles and reached for a cup of water. She hurriedly gulped it down, while blindingly aware of Ino's suggestive smirk. "What are you talking about?" She was finally able to blurt out, gripping the chopsticks tightly in her fist.

The grin on Ino's face only became wider as she took in the deep flush of her cheeks. "He _is_ your boyfriend!" Her eyes gleamed at the possibility of a juicy story.

"He is not!" Terumi interjected firmly, but with the blush still etched on her face Ino couldn't take her seriously.

"If he isn't, then you obviously have a crush on him," she continued to insist in a sing-song voice.

"I do not like Akito! That's ridiculous!" Terumi spluttered out. "I don't even know where you got that idea."

"Don't lie to me. I saw the sparks between you two."

Terumi rolled her eyes. "The only sparks I see around here is where your brain short-circuited."

Ino gasped just as Choji howled with laughter. Even Shikamaru chuckled at the insult his new teammate threw at his troublesome childhood friend.

"It hasn't even been an hour since we've met, but I like you already." Choji pretended to wipe tears off his face as he said this.

Meanwhile, Terumi belatedly registered the words that slipped past her own mouth.

Ino frowned at the petite girl. "So this is your true colors," she said sadly.

Terumi's blue eyes widened in horror and she pressingly shook her head. "No! I'm sorry, Ino. I didn't mean it. It came out wrong. I don't even know what I was thinking—"

Before she could finish apologizing, Ino doubled up laughing and clenched her stomach. Terumi was stunned speechless as she watched the blonde girl in hysterics. _What the hell is going on?_ She looked at Choji for an explanation, but he was already busying himself with another bowl of ramen. Shikamaru was staring directly at her but, as usual, didn't bother to speak.

"Teru." She whipped her head when she heard Ino call her name in-between laughter. "I'm not mad. I was just teasing you." Terumi's shoulders sagged in relief, but she suddenly felt annoyed at being tricked.

"Not cool," she said with narrowed eyes.

Ino finally calmed down enough to say, "Sorry. It's been too long since I've hang out with another girl who's not Sakura, so I went overboard." She smirked again. "But I wasn't kidding when I said you and that guy have chemistry. I'm surprised you're not dating yet."

Terumi crossed her arms and feigned anger. "Don't think everyone is dating their teammate just because you're with Shikamaru-san," she said hotly.

It was Ino's turn to choke on the soup she was sipping. Shikamaru's stoic appearance finally cracked as bewilderment took over. And even Choji looked up from his ramen long enough to exclaim, "You're dating?!"

Terumi gave up on her facade when she realized the trio had _no_ idea what she was talking about. "Wait...aren't you?"

Ino glared at Choji as if he should've known better. "Of course not!" She snapped. "Who the hell told you I'm dating Shikamaru? Is that why guys aren't approaching me for dates? They think I'm in a relationship with this lazy bum?" She moaned into her hands. "My reputation is ruined!"

"Gee, Ino. Thanks for boosting my self-esteem," Shikamaru remarked sarcastically. He scowled at his half-eaten ramen, Terumi wondered if it bothered him more than he'd liked to admit.

"Oh shut up, Shika. At least they don't think you're married to your shogi board."

Shikamaru snorted. "As if that's worse than being matched with a troublesome woman like you."

As Ino and Shikamaru continued to exchange insults, Terumi pondered whether they were secretly dating. After all, they looked like they were having a lover's spat. Amidst this, Choji ordered another bowl of ramen and continued to chow down as if he wasn't sitting between the bickering couple. Terumi rolled her eyes at the supposed "epitome of teamwork". She was glad the store was vacant of other customers, otherwise they would've been kicked out a long time ago.

 _If only my friends can see them now._ Terumi mused. _Guess Ino-Shika-Cho isn't as unified as we thought._

She cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled loud enough to be heard over their voices. "You two, would you please shut your mouths!"

Ino paused mid-sentence and stared at Terumi with her mouth still wide open. Shikamaru closed his eyes and rubbed the spot between his eyebrows, a frown marred his otherwise attractive face.

Terumi stood in-between the two, directly behind Choji, and crossed her arms over her chest. She gave them a severe staredown. "Now that you've stopped arguing like an old married couple, maybe we can discuss our mission tomorrow like civilized ninja, hm?"

Ino's mouth twitched at the mention of "old married couple", but reluctantly slumped back on her seat. "Fine," she pouted.

Terumi grinned in triumph and turned towards Shikamaru. "How 'bout it, squad leader?"

Shikamaru rested an elbow on the table and cracked one eye open. "You sounded a bit like my mom just now, but fine," he grumbled.

Terumi stifled a laugh. They were behaving like children. "I'll take that as a compliment," she responded with a bright smile. "C'mon, let's get started. The mission's not gonna plan itself, you know."

In front of her, Choji burped.

—

"Tell me again why you were chosen to work with Ino-Shika-Cho?" Remi grumpily questioned, while Terumi comfortably settled in Remi's queen-sized bed.

"Tsunade-sama said I was clever and skilled and I would work well with them," she answered smugly, knowing full well that Remi was gnashing her teeth in frustration.

After discussing the contingencies and strategies they were going to take on their mission, the four of them left Ichiraku Ramen and went their separate ways. Terumi went towards the direction of Remi's home. It was a cozy place that was big enough for three. Before going to her bedroom, Terumi had asked where her parents were, to which Remi nonchalantly answered "Out", which was her way of saying they were on a mission.

Remi reached inside her cabinet and threw Terumi a bar of chocolate, before getting one for her own. She sat down on the carpeted floor and took a big bite. "If I think about it, I guess it makes sense that you were put in their team," she said thoughtfully, with chunks of chocolate still inside her mouth.

Terumi tensed but hid her reaction by pretending to wince in disgust. "How many times do I have to tell you not to speak with your mouth full?" She groaned.

Remi rolled her eyes, but she knew what her best friend was playing at. She pointed her index finger at the brunette. "Stop trying to change the subject. Do they even know who you are?"

Terumi tightened her grip on the chocolate, but was determined not to let her feelings show. "Of course they do. They know me as Terumi," she said calmly.

Remi glared at her. "I knew it! They have no idea you're a Tachibana!"

Terumi sighed wearily. She didn't like where this conversation was going. "It doesn't matter what family I'm from."

"That's not the point. Why aren't you telling them?"

"They didn't ask."

"Well, isn't that convenient?" Sarcasm dripped from Remi's voice. "I suppose it has nothing to do with the fact that your clan members are always being paired up with a Nara during missions, huh?"

Terumi felt a vein popped out her temple. She knew Remi wanted to force the truth out of her, but she was in no mood to talk about it. "Remi. Shut. _Up_." She enunciated each word icily. The chocolate was beginning to feel like putty in her hand.

"We wouldn't want Shikamaru-san to have unusual expectations of you." Remi continued, challenging Terumi to refute her words.

Terumi didn't trust herself to speak. She continued on clenching her fists until her fingernails drew blood.

"Say something!" Remi demanded.

Something inside Terumi snapped. She concentrated a bit of chakra to her fist and slammed it down on Remi's bed with all her might. The force of the punch nearly blew Remi away. She automatically raised her arms to protect her face. After the wind died down, Remi slowly opened her eyes and saw that her room was a mess: picture frames and paintings toppled over. Her poor bed had a huge hole underneath, and its innards were spilling out. The wood supporting it cracked in more places than one. At the center of it all was Terumi, who remained seated and unmoving. Remi stood up and approached her cautiously. Her face was void of any expression, but Remi felt a chill ran down her spine as she stared at her.

"I'm sorry, Teru," she said apologetically.

Terumi looked down on her fist, still clenched, and felt guilt and regret washed over her. "I'm sorry, too. For destroying your bed."

"I was planning on buying a new one anyway."

The two girls looked in each other's eyes and chuckled. "I'll wait until you feel like talking," Remi sincerely assured.

Terumi shrugged. "It's not worth talking about," she said seriously. She raised her fist above her head and placidly inspected it.

"My family has nothing to do with who I am."

* * *

 **Finally finished this chapter! The mission will start in the next chapter, and btw details of their meeting will be told in later chaps. I hope you enjoyed reading!**


End file.
